RECAP: Dexter “Teenage Wasteland” S5 E9

28Nov

With 3 episodes left in the season, there are so many questions and issues to consider and it makes me wonder if this season will be wrapped up in a box with a big red bow or if some of this transfers over to next season.

Astor/Dexter

When I first saw that Astor was back for this episode, I just rolled my eyes. I can’t stand her. She annoys the crap out of me. I was hoping when Astor and Cody moved to Orlando, that was going to be the last we saw of them. I was wrong. However, I was pleasantly surprised with how this went down between Astor and Dexter.

Last week we saw someone sneaking into Dexter’s house, where Lumen is staying. Turns out, the people breaking in were Astor and her friend, Olivia. Well this is awkward. Each party wants to know who the other is and neither are happy the other is in the house. Dexter shows up to make the introductions and he wants to know why Astor is there, how she got there, and how at 12 yrs old she was able to get alcohol and get drunk. Astor, looking like Amy Winehouse, brushes him off and uses some nice vulgarity to accentuate her point. Olivia then gets sick and Lumen offers to take care of her while Dexter talks to Astor. He tries to get her to open up to him but it isn’t working and he advises them to sleep it off. He asks Lumen what he should do to get through to Astor and she suggests talking to her and really trying to listen to her.

The next morning, Lumen makes the girls breakfast while Dexter tries to “bond” with Astor by asking her to spend the day with him and Harrison after he gets back from the cop shop. Later that day, Lumen went out and when she came back, the girls are gone. She thinks they have been kidnapped because their cell phones were left behind. She calls Dexter and he decides that he needs to call the cops because he can’t risk the girls’ safety. Turns out the girls just went shopping (make that shop lifting) and Dexter and Olivia’s father, Elliott, pick up the girls from the store. Elliott complains the whole time about how awful Olivia is and what a pain in the ass teenage girls are. He comes off as a real charmer!

Olivia and Astor go back with Dexter to get her things at Dexter’s and when she is changing, Lumen notices bruises all over her. Lumen brings this to Dexter’s attention and Dexter talks to Astor about this. Astor finally starts to soften and she opens up to Dexter about what is going on with Olivia…her step-father is beating her and Astor brought her to their home in Miami so Olivia could get away from him. Ok so it looks Astor’s not such a douchebag after all. She is trying to be a really good friend. Dexter tells her he is going to help her and asks why she didn’t tell him before. Astor tells Dexter that since he was never around and always off doing other things, she thought he just didn’t care. This seems to hit Dexter pretty hard. He tells Astor that he will take care of this.

Dexter finds Elliott and gives him a pretty good beating. He tells him that he will leave his wife and step-daughter and that he will never see them again or Dexter will be back to finish the job. Elliott does leave his family and Dexter drives Olivia and Astor back to Orlando. When Olivia leaves, she thanks Dexter for all his help and Astor is thrilled he was able to help out her friend. She asks if Dexter is going to tell on her to her grandparents. He promises he won’t as long as she promises not to drink anymore and she agrees. She thanks him and invites him in to see Cody.

Probably one of the most interesting introspectives happens with Dexter…he realizes how important being a good dad is to him and Harry tells him that he was probably wrong about leading him down the path of murder. This is a pretty enlightening scene and it makes you think…how much of who Dexter has become is really Dexter and his decisions and inner demons or the results of Harry’s presumption about who he would become so therefore directed him in a way that made Dexter believe he had these inner demons and so this was the only way he could live his life. You have to think Harry has the ultimate culpability here since from the time Dexter was a kid, he taught him this “code” and lifestyle. Although I am one of those people who believes that no matter how you were raised, once you become an educated adult, you start to make your own decisions on how your life should go. Now, obviously if there are mental issues involved, that philosophy goes out the window. Since Dexter still sees and talks to his dead father, you could argue there are questions about Dexter’s mental state. But you have to wonder if Dexter, between wanting to be more involved in Astor, Cody, and Harrison’s lives and the amount of times his life and his work life (along with the people in it) juxtapose and become complicated, will start to weigh the importance of acting on his dark side. I hope not because then we have no Dexter anymore!! But from the perspective of the growth of the character, you have to think that MAYBE, Dexter will start to re-evaluate who he is and how he deals with it.

Quinn/Deb/Liddy

Liddy is continuing on his quest to bring down Dexter even though it is becoming more and more apparent that Quinn wants out because of his feelings for Deb. He showed Quinn the pictures of Dexter and Lumen dumping the bags of Cole into the water and Quinn didn’t flinch, which surprised me a little. Quinn is still a cop. So regardless of his feelings for Deb, you would think seeing something like that would peak his interest again.

In another bitchy move by LaGuerta, when Deb is in her office about the Boyd case, LaGuerta drops the bomb that Quinn didn’t “take time off” a few weeks ago. He was actually suspended by LaGuerta. When deb asks why, she says “to protect your brother.” “Protect him from what” Deb asks. “Ask Quinn” LaGuerta responds. When Deb confronts him, Quinn tells her the truth about the Kyle Butler investigation and him following the evidence and his gut. Obviously this goes over REALLY well with Deb and she is pissed and storms out.

I love Deb, but she is 100% wrong here. As a fellow detective, she should know that regardless of the personal connections of fellow officers, he is bound by the law to investigate all leads. And that was exactly what Quinn was doing. If the situation was reversed, Deb would have done the same thing because she is a good detective. I understand being upset and thinking there is no validity in Quinn’s investigation. But when he admitted that he investigated, it went no where, so he dropped it, Deb should have been accepting of that. But she is such a hot head that she doesn’t always apply logic.

Lumen/Jordan/Dexter

Raise your hand if that phone conversation between Lumen and Jordan had you cringing as much as Lumen? (Insert raised hand here.) It was chilling. I’m not sure if Jordan knew immediately that it was Lumen on the phone. But after he heard her voice, you know he knew it was her. It made watching that phone call just as grueling for the viewer as it was for Lumen. And when he says “Bye Lumen” to let her know he is knows where she is, I just wanted to run to Dexter’s house and take her to my house to protect her!

So Jordan is now onto Dexter. Dexter was able to get the sample of blood out of Jordan’s vile but he unfortunately wasn’t as careful as Dexter usually is and as a result, Jordan no longer trusts him. Dexter runs the blood and it is of a girl who is alive and well by the name of Emily Birch. She does have a record (2 DUIs) but she isn’t one of Chase’s victims. So who is she? A sister? An ex-wife? Another escaped victim? I don’t think it’s the last one. But I am curious as to who she is and with 3 eppies left, we should get a resolution pretty soon. I think it is safe to say that she is the big reason (if not the only reason) Chase has become the creep he has become. And by the way, I hate that Eli Stone is a bad guy. I miss the singing/dancing prophet/lawyer. I like him better that way!

Final Thoughts

My husband and I were debating what happens with Lumen at the end of the season. I think, after revenge is exacted and the Chase gang is all dead, Lumen will ride off into the sunset knowing Dexter’s secret and being the only person being able to live to tell about it…but doesn’t say a word. My husband thinks she stays on as a friend/love interest for Dexter or something happens and she dies (but not by Dexter’s hands.)

I’m not sure what I want to happen. I like her character and would like her to stay. On the other hand, that can become an absolute mess (you know she will try to change him) and a likable character can become annoying very quickly. So maybe should leave and have them live respected but separate lives.